Notice is hereby given pursuant to Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 40A, Section 5 (The Zoning Act) and the Newburyport Zoning Ordinance, Section XXII-B (Adoption and Amendment), that the Newburyport Planning Board and City Council (acting through its Planning & Development Committee) will hold a Joint Public Hearing on Wednesday, February 21, 2018 at 7:00 p.m. in the City Council Chambers at Newburyport City Hall, 60 Pleasant Street, Newburyport, MA 01950.

The purpose of this Public Hearing is to present, and hear testimony and comment from interested persons relative to, proposed amendments and additions to the Zoning Ordinance for the City of Newburyport, said amendments being submitted to the City Council for consideration on January 8 & 29, 2018 (respectively). After the Public Hearing the Planning Board and Planning & Development Committee will, as required by law, vote its recommendations on each proposal and report them back to the full City Council.

There are three (3) proposed ordinance amendments. A summary is provided below. Copies of the full text of such ordinances and maps thereof are available for review by interested parties in the Offices of the City Clerk and Office of Planning & Development (City Hall, 60 Pleasant Street, Newburyport, MA 01950) during regular business hours. Questions regarding these ordinances may be directed to the Director of Planning & Development, Andrew R. Port, at (978) 465-4400 x 1.

Summary of Proposed Zoning Ordinance Amendments:

1: Amend the Newburyport Zoning Ordinance Section V-G (Medical Marijuana Treatment Centers) subsections C (Establishment) & D (Permitting procedure and criteria) to change the designated Special Permit Granting Authority (SPGA) for proposed Medical Marijuana Treatment Centers from the Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA) to the Planning Board (PB). Amend the Newburyport Zoning Ordinance under Section III-C (entitled “Zoning map”) and Section III-D (entitled “Changes to zoning map”), such that the following additional properties are included within the boundaries of the Medical Marijuana Overlay District (MMOD):

2: Amend the Newburyport Zoning Ordinance Section V-D (Table of Use Regulations) to permit certain uses as-of-right (P), to require a Special Permit (SP) for other uses, and to prohibit certain uses altogether (NP), within respective Zoning Districts throughout the City. This amendment would also change the designated Special Permit Granting Authority (SPGA) for certain uses from the Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA) to the Planning Board (PB).

3: Amend the Newburyport Zoning Ordinance under Section III-C (entitled “Zoning map”) and Section III-D (entitled “Changes to zoning map”), such that the following five (5) parcels located within the City are changed from the Residential Three (R-3) District to the Business 2 (B-2) District, as depicted on a map entitled “Zoning Map Change – Proposed,” prepared by the Office of Planning & Development, and dated January 29, 2018: